Boll-weevil catcher



March 17,1925. 1,530,046

J. H. HAMBY BOLL WEEVIL GATOHER Filed may 12. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1ATIORNIY March 17', 1925.

J. H. HAM BY BOLL' WEEVIL CATCHIPR Filed May 12. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR ATTOR N EY Patented Mar. 17, 1925. v

UNITED STATES JOHN H. HAMBY, OF CUMMING, GEORGIA.

. .BQLL-WEEVIL CATGHER.

Application filed May 12,

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, JOHN H. HAMBY; a citizen of. the United States,residing at Cumming,- in the county of Fors'yth and State. of (-ieorgia,have. invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Boll-WeevilCatchersof which the following is a specilication, reference beingv hadto the accompanying drawings.

Thisinvention relates to boll weevil catchersor the like and moreparticularly to a device of this character having positively drivenmeansfor removing the weevil from theplants as thedevice is moved along therowftogether witlrmeans for collecting the weevil thus. removed.

An important object of the: invention. is to provide a devicevof thischaracter including striking elements which are adjustable to therebypermit the device to be employed with plants of varying sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter having collecting pans mounted so that theyare readily shiftedduring the operation of the device to move them toward'or away from thestalks of the plants upon whichithe device is operated.

These and other objects I attain by the construction and arrangementshown in the accompanying drawings wherein for the purpose ofillustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and whereinlike reference characters designate like parts throughout.

In the drawings z- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a boll weevil catcherconstructed in accordance with my invention;

-Figure 2 is a plan vview thereof;

Figure 3 is an end elevation thereof;

Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view showing the pan mounting employed;

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the connection and mounting ofthe pan;

Figure 6 is a view of an adjustable hearing employed for the verticalrollers; and

Figure 7 is a detailed viewshowing the mounting of the horizontalroller;

Referring. now more particularly to the drawings, the device includes aninverted usshaped frame comprising longitudinally extending top members10 connected. at their ends by transversely extending members 11 andintermediate-their ends at their approximate center by a transverselyextending 1923. Serial. No. 638 567.

member 12. Depending from the cornersof the frame thus formed arevertical members 13,, thevertical members at the" same. side membersare. suitably braced as at 16to the. 1 upper frame members and as at 17to the lower framemembers. ,1 At each sideof the machine andimmediatelybelow the-lon itudinallyj. extending members 10 of t e upper frame, thevertical members. 13 are connected; by longitudinally extending:support-s 18.. Each support 18 at the approximate center thereof isconnectedxby averticall-y extending member or strut '19 withthecorresponding lower frame member 14.

Upon the. supporting members approxi-i mately centrally thereof are.mounted bearings 20, each receiving one-end of. a short shaft21,.theopposite end of whichis supported by a bearing 22 depending fromthe central cross member12of the upper frame. Uponeach'of the. shafts 21a roller 23'is mounted and the outer-ends of these shafts are providedwith sprockets 2 connected with" sprockets 25. secured to a supportingwheel 15 at the corresponding, side of the machine, bya chain 26 so thatthese shafts shafts 21 the upperand lower frame menr bers 10 and 1% areeach provided with bear-- ing members 27 adjustable transversely of themachine, these bearing membersrotatably receiving the ends of a shaft 28and mounted thereon a roller'29 provided with curved strikerfingers 30.From each of the rollers 23 a drive-belt 31 extends to the correspondingroller 29. Secured at their lower endslto thestruts 19 and-at theirupper ends to. the-longitudinally extending supports 18 are guides32havingformed therein arcuate slots33 receiving rollers 34: forming amountmg, for.- bearlngs 35 in which. are

mounted the ends of ashaft having a roller i 36: thereon. The curvatureof the slot 33 has as a. radius. the centerof one of the shafts :21 andthe roller 36 is connected with the roller 23 of this shaft by azbeltBY.The

roller 36 is provided with strikertingers 38 for engagementwith theplants upon which the device is operated. To one of the bear ings 35 issecured; a link 39, the opposite end of whichv is pivot ally connectedwith one end of a rod 40 pivoted intermediate its ends upon the upperframe, as indicated at 41. The opposite end of this lever is connectedthrough a link 42 with one end of a lever which is provided with anoperating handle 47. Adjacent each end of the frame, each of said sidemembers 10 has directed therethrough a shaft 48. Between the horizontalmembers 10 and 18 the shaft 48 is directed through the arms 49 of theU-shaped yoke Y, the yoke being rotatableupon the shaft and having thearms thereof directed inwardly. Upon the upper ends of the shafts 48 arerotatably mounted the outer ends of links 50, the inner ends of whichare provided with slots 51 slidably receiving studs 52 carried by thereciprocatory rod 46, the links 50 at corresponding ends of the sidemembers preferably engaging the iii) same stud of the reciprocatory rod.To these rods, at points spaced from the outer ends thereof, are securedthe upperends of supports 58 which extend through and are secured to theinner ends of the arms 49 of the yokes Y and to which are secured at thelower ends thereof insect receiving pans 5d adapted for the reception ofan insecticide and to receive weevil knocked from the plants of a rowupon which the device is operated by the striker members 30 and 38, ofthe rollers 29 and 36. It will be seen that by longitudinal shifting ofthe rod 46 the positions of the supports 53 with respect to the sides ofthe frame may be adjusted, the lower ends of these supports swingingoutwardly from or inwardly toward the sides of the frame, thus movingthe pans 54 toward or away from one another. The outeredges of thesepans are connected withthe frame members by means of flexible strips 55of any suitable material which will permit movement of the pans towardor away from'one another and at the same time prevent the passage ofinsects knocked from the plants between the frame member and the outeredges of the pans. The frame, at the top and sides thereof, is coveredby a suitable screening 56 which likewise serves to prevent the escapeof insects.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the rollers 29 maybe readilyadjusted to ward one another, thus enabling the device to be regulatedso that the strikers 30 of the rollers will properly engage the sides ofthe plants, whether these plants be young and small or mature and wellgrown. Similarly, by adjustment of the roller 38, the tops of the plantsmay be engaged without regard to the height thereof. The mounting of thepans is particularly important, due to the fact that it is desirous thatat all times when possible the edges of the pans be directly engagedwith the stalks of the plants of the row upon which the device isoperated. It will be obvious that when so engaged any of the plantswhich are staggered or misaligned will be engaged by the pans and in allprobability broken, or in any event damaged. The adjustability of thepans permits the operator at any time during the operation of thedeviceto shift the pans inwardly or outwardly to accommodateinequalities or irregularities in planting. structural details of thedevice as hereinbefore set forth are capable of some change andmodification without materially departing from the spirit of myinvention and I accordingly do not limit myself to such specificstructure as hereinbefore set forth except as hereinafter claimed.

lVhat is claimed is 1. In a boll weevil catcher, a frame adapted to bemoved along a row of plants to receive the plants between the sidesthereof, Vertical rollers arranged at opposite sides of the frame andadjustable toward and away from each other, a horizontal rollerextending transversely of the frame and adjustable toward and away fromthe ground, striker arms carried by said rollers, and means operated bythe movement of the frame along the row of plants for rotating saidrollers.

2. In a boll weevil catcher, a frame adapt ed to be moved along a row ofplants to receive the plants between the sides thereof, Vertical rollersarranged at opposite sides of the frame and adjustable toward and awayfrom each other, a horizontal roller extending transversely of the frameand ad: justable toward and away from the ground, striker arms carriedby said rollers, means operated by the movement of the frame along therow of plants for rotating said rollers, pans carried by said frame andadapted to receive weevil knocked from the plants by the arms of therollers, and means operable during movement of the device along the rowof plants for shifting said pans toward and away from one another.

3. In a boll weevil'catcher, a frame adapted to be moved along a row ofplants to receive the plants between the sides thereof, vertical rollersarranged at opposite sides of the frame and adjustable toward and awayfrom each other, a horizontal roller extending transversely of the frameand adjustable toward and away from the ground,

It will be obvious that the lllfl strike-r arms carried by said rollers,means operated by the movement of the frame along the row of plants forrotating said rollers, pans carried by said frame and adapted to receiveweevil knocked from the plants by the arms of the rollers, meansoperable during movement of the device along the row of plants forshifting said pans toward and away from one another, a screen coveringfor the top and sides of said frame, and a flexible connection betweenthe outer edges of said pans and the sides of the frame for sealing thespace therebetween.

4. In a boll weevil catcher, a frame adapted to be moved along a row ofplants to re ceive the plants between the sides thereof, verticalrollers arranged at opposite sides of the frame and adjustable towardand away from each other, a horizontal roller extending transversely ofthe frame and ustable toward and away from the ground, striker armscarried by said rollers, means operated by the movement of the framealong the row of plants for rotating said rollers, pans carried by saidframe and adapted to receive weevil knocked from the plants by the armsof the rollers, means operable during movement of the device along therow of plants for shifting said pans toward and away from one another,including supports for said pans secured to the pans at their lowerends, vertically pivoted arms associated with each support and throughthe free ends of which the supports are directed, a pivoted linkassociated with each support and to which the upper end of the supportis secured, and means carried by the frame for simultaneously shiftingall of said links.

5. In a boll weevil catcher, a U-shaped frame adapted to be moved alonga row of plants, vertically pivoted U-shaped yokes carried by the framesat the sides thereof, supports having their upper ends directed throughthe free ends of the yokes, pans secured to the lower ends of saidsupports, links pivoted to the frame at their ends and secured to saidsupports inwardly of their ends, a bar reciprocable longitudinally ofthe frame, and connection between said bar and each of said linkswhereby the links are oscillated when the bar is reciprocated, and meansassociated with the frame for knocking weevil from plants upon which theframe is being employed into the pans thereof.

6. In a boll weevil catcher, a frame adapt ed to be moved along a row ofplants to receive the plants between the sides thereof, vertical rollersarranged at opposite sides of the frame and adjustable toward and awayfrom each other, a horizontal roller extending transversely of the frameand adjustable toward and away from the ground, strike-r arms carried bysaid rollers, means operated by the movement of the frame along the rowof plants for rotating said rollers, pans carried by said frame andadapted to receive means carried by the frame forsimultaneouslyshiftingall of said, links, a cover for said frame, and a connection between theouter edge of each pan and the adjacent arm of the frame permittingadjustment of the pan toward and away from the frame and sealing thespace between the pan and frame.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN H. HAMBY.

